Mya McYntire says getting her citizenship feels awesome. She is originally from Iraq.

Her husband, a Marine staff sergeant, says the process to become a citizen was expedited as a military member.

But for other immigrants, escaping bad situations, “It’s a touchy subject because everybody’s situation different. If you are coming to the States and you escaping some hard times and you want to make life better for your family. It’s a touchy subject,” said Patrick Mcyntire.

Juan Gomez is originally from Mexico, but lived legally in the US for more than 30 years. He says undocumented immigrants crossing the border are messing with fire.

“They are wrong, they cannot get across the border, they might end up getting shot. You come legal or you are not coming at all because things are hard now ,” says Gomez.

“If you are born on the soil America, then you become a citizen, whether your parents are documented or not, that’s the way it should be unless (there is) rampant abuse of the process,” says John Tien. His wife was naturalized Thursday.

A process certainly not taken for granted, as these new Americans celebrated a new start.